If Christ has set us free, why do we keep on picking up those chains

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What if Twenty Seventeen wasn’t Your Year?

These last couple of days I have noticed a lot of my Facebook friends have been sharing all the good things that have happened for them over the last year. All the things they have achieved, all the hopes fulfilled and new adventures. The kind of posts that social media was made for. The kind of posts that make you ninety percent happy and ten percent jealous. (Or was it the other way round?)

Maybe you are of the generation that still sends and receives Christmas letters full of tales of A-grades and picture perfect children. How can their lives just keep on getting better and better every year, without even the smallest trouble?

What if your twenty seventeen was nothing like that? What if your twenty seventeen was was just average, or a whole lot worse? What if you’re leaving twenty seventeen just as confused as you entered it?

Maybe you are scared to hope that this year will even be just okay.

What I am not going to say right now is that this is a new year, and it will be better. Because it might not be.

I’m not going to tell you that if you have the right attitude, eat the right food and wake up two hours earlier you will achieve everything you wanted to. Because even if this was true, I know it won’t last beyond the first page of a new calendar.

What I am going to tell you is that I am slowly starting to realise that this life is less and less about what we do, what we believe and more and more about be still and Knowing God.

Not just knowing about God, but actually truly knowing him. Life is about running into his arms and bowing at his feet and just being in his presence. And everything else flows from that.

Being a Christian doesn’t safeguard us from trials, it actually guarantees them. But when you Know God, you can find a way through even the hardest times, without becoming hard. You can face hopeless situations with out losing hope. You can be crushed by the pressures of this world but never break. You can be persecuted and abused, but you never forsaken. You can be struck down but never destroyed.

I am sure to a lot of outsiders it looks like I am entering into 2018 in much the same way as I entered 2017. That maybe it is taking me too long to move on from a painful marriage and out of my parents home. I know that some people will be confused by the decisions that I have made, but I can honestly say, for the first time in my adult life, that I know I am right where God wants me to be. My life may not be what I imagined it would be, but that doesn’t matter.

This kind of knowledge doesn’t come from anything other than learning to slow down and dwell in God’s presence.

Alice, this was amazing! I’ll share it ion The Silver Lining at http://www.facebook.com/angelaslittleattic this week and tag you in it! What a strong, courageous, and honest message! I’m so glad you took a moment to share Truth! I do pray God blesses you abundantly this year, and beyond, in Jesus’ name. After all, years are seasons, and the Bible promises that there are seasons of joy to come after sorrow, so continue to walk in His hope! Thank you for this encouraging read! 💙✝️

Our trials often bring us closer to God. The questions and doubts…if we humbly and honestly take them before Our King and listen for His answers, we will learn that He truly is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love! He wants all of us, even our doubts and fears. He loves us.

This spoke to me on so many levels. Yes, we had some good times in 2017, but it was one of our toughest years. I keep thinking, “yay, 2018 is here!” Yet I fear that 2018 will be more of the same. You are right, 2018 could still be hard and my son could still struggle through all these medical issues, but God will be with us. God keeps finding ways to comfort us through it all. We must focus on truly knowing God this year.

This is all so true and so heartfelt. It’s a good reminder that sometimes it’s just “not your year”, but that doesn’t mean that you should be more discouraged. Life always has it’s ups and downs. We shouldn’t glorify the highs and ignore the lows. We should accept and embrace (as much as we can) whatever God has for our lives in every season.

A beautiful & honest post. Thank you for sharing, Alice. For some reason last night, I went to sleep with the worship song ‘Father I Place into Your Hands’ going through my mind. I haven’t heard or sung it for years. It was a sweet reminder. God’s abundant blessing be with you. 💖